Manny Diaz finally got a chance to see Steed in action at the Paradise Camp yesterday. Manny told me after the camp that he was everything that I talked Steed up to be. He was very impressed with how fluid his hips were and his quickness. There was a mental drill phase during the individual period, where Manny asked the linebackers to shuffle to four corners of a square only going to the left and the second rep was only going to the right. Manny showed his frustration with many of the recruits during this phase as most were going in the wrong directions. Manny was very happy with Steed's reps as he went through them without a hitch. During the reaction and drops phase, Steed stood out with his fluidity flipping his hips and quickness reacting to the coaches direction. Even though I didn't see any highly ranked LB's at the camp, Steed still proved to be miles ahead of the group that was in attendance. This is not to say the other LB's weren't talented but You won't find many high school LB's with the skill set that Steed possesses. I asked Ray Lewis if he could watch him and tell me what he thought about my son during the individual period and after the period he said he liked the way Steed moved. During 1on1's he got beat on a will route but had excellent coverage, he just didn't swipe at the RB's hands soon enough to breakup the reception. Najeh Davenport and I, chopped it up before and after the camp and he too came away impressed with Steed, as Najeh was haggling him throughout the 1on1 phase. During 7on7's Steed had one bad rep where he broke on a out route and didn't stay in his zone, so the QB threw a pass in the zone where Steed should have been. All of his other reps were perfect and they didn't throw any other passes his way. I told Manny that I wanted Steed to trim down a little as he isn't the chiseled specimen that I want him to be but Manny said he wasn't worried about it because he knows Gus will get him where he needs to be. Steed also told me that he appreciated Shaq and Jermaine Grace giving him pointers throughout the camp!!!
As I stated in another thread, the coaches at UM killed the meetings. My son and I have been on a couple of unofficial visits at other universities and this one was by far more informative and the staff is selling the "family" brand very well. At one point in a meeting with just the parents and coaches, CMR started to get into some bible scriptures but you can tell he held back. I talked to DeeJay Dallas's parents afterwards and they feel exactly the way that I do about CMR and the staff. They love the family oriented staff and program. Navaughn, Cook, and Steed all rode with me and they all were pro U afterwards on the trip home. I am confident that the U still has a great shot at landing Cook if they have two good seasons that prove the new path. There is a FS that just transferred to Miami Central in the spring by the name of Chandler Jones. Keep an eye out for him as he had two picks during the 7on7 period and I came away very impressed with him. I believe he is a 2017 kid but I need to confirm. James Cook looked awesome in the reps I saw him take and from what everyone has been saying, Navaughn had a great day also. Miami Central will be a force this year and this group of kids proved it yesterday.
Other kids that impressed me yesterday were Al Blades Jr, Mike Hartley, Jerry Juedy, and Demetrius Ivey. Al Blades is the exact replica of Canes great Al Blades Sr. His attitude and tenacity was on full display during the 7on7's. The only thing I was missing was popcorn. He repeatedly got in the heads of the opposing receivers, QB's, Jon Richt, and he even garnered some praise from Brad Kaaya.
As I stated in another thread, the coaches at UM killed the meetings. My son and I have been on a couple of unofficial visits at other universities and this one was by far more informative and the staff is selling the "family" brand very well. At one point in a meeting with just the parents and coaches, CMR started to get into some bible scriptures but you can tell he held back. I talked to DeeJay Dallas's parents afterwards and they feel exactly the way that I do about CMR and the staff. They love the family oriented staff and program. Navaughn, Cook, and Steed all rode with me and they all were pro U afterwards on the trip home. I am confident that the U still has a great shot at landing Cook if they have two good seasons that prove the new path. There is a FS that just transferred to Miami Central in the spring by the name of Chandler Jones. Keep an eye out for him as he had two picks during the 7on7 period and I came away very impressed with him. I believe he is a 2017 kid but I need to confirm. James Cook looked awesome in the reps I saw him take and from what everyone has been saying, Navaughn had a great day also. Miami Central will be a force this year and this group of kids proved it yesterday.
Other kids that impressed me yesterday were Al Blades Jr, Mike Hartley, Jerry Juedy, and Demetrius Ivey. Al Blades is the exact replica of Canes great Al Blades Sr. His attitude and tenacity was on full display during the 7on7's. The only thing I was missing was popcorn. He repeatedly got in the heads of the opposing receivers, QB's, Jon Richt, and he even garnered some praise from Brad Kaaya.
